A PROMINENT Cabinet Member on Pembrokeshire council has failed to endorse claims made by the Council Leader Jamie Adams in a response to an incendiary letter from former Audit Chair John Evans MBE.

This weekend county councillor Jacob Williams revealed on his website that senior councillors, officers and Mr. Evans were summoned to an 8.15am meeting in the CEO’s office on May 16, in which Bryn Parry Jones threatened the use of private investigators to uncover the source of a leak to this newspaper.

David Simpson, spokesperson for Housing, has told the Herald there is only a limited point of difference between his recollection of events at a secret meeting held on May 16 in Bryn Parry Jones’ office and that of the former Audit Committee Chair’s.

A press statement provided by the Leader says:

“It is unfortunate that Mr Evans did not take up my offer for the two of us to meet together to discuss the letter which I assumed he had sent to me privately.

“The meeting with the Chief Executive to which he refers was also attended by several others, including the Chairman of Council and a Cabinet Member.

“They have a rather different interpretation of events to Mr Evans.”

No need to be accompanied

The Herald can tell its readers that while Cllr Adams was happy to meet one on one with Mr Evans to discuss the letter dated July 3, he baulked at the prospect of Mr Evans being accompanied to the meeting, which was scheduled for August 6.

Cllr Adams confirmed to the Herald that Mr Evans had requested that Cllr Baker come with him to any meeting with the IPPG Leader.

Jamie Adams told the Herald:

“I offered to meet with John Evans but when he asked to be accompanied by Phil Baker, I told him I did not see the necessity for a third party to be present. I believe John Evans misinterpreted the meeting with the CEO and it would have been cleared up if he had agreed to meet with me to discuss it privately.”

Simpson begs to differ

In an embarrassing development for IPPG Leader Adams, one of the councillors at the May 16 meeting in the CEO’s office does not back the robust position the leader has set out.

Spokesperson for Housing (and Pembrokeshire Bench Magistrate) David Simpson has told the Herald:

“I have read the letter by John Evans. My only difference [in his account] of the event is that I did not experience any ‘hostility’ as described by John.”

What Jamie told councillors

The Herald can reveal that in a series of email exchanges with councillors, the Leader has robustly defended Bryn Parry Jones’; conduct. The Leader has claimed that far from bullying or intimidating staff, the CEO was protecting council officers’ interests by trying to get to the bottom of who leaked the identity of “Minute Meddler” Gwyn Evans to the Herald for our May 9 front page scoop.

In emails sent to councillors, Jamie Adams has claimed that – far from their being a difference in interpretation – Mr Evans’ account “does not accord with the account of the two Council Members present and also is not supported by the officers present at the meeting.”

Responding to the Leader’s email to all councillors, Pembroke St Michael Councillor, Jonathan Nutting, demanded answers from the IPPG leader:

“You have basically said that Mr. Evans did not give an honest account in his letter about his early morning meeting with Mr. B.Parry Jones.

“As this is a serious allegation in open email I demand you rapidly back it up.

“By tomorrow morning I expect a full account of the meeting by Cllr. David Simpson and Cllr. Tom Richards for all councillors to read.

“If this is not forthcoming I will take it that you have not got their backing for your words of condemnation.”

Brinsden calls for action

Tony Brinsden, the unaffiliated member for Amroth wrote to Jamie Adams in stark terms:

“Up to now I have had no wish to get involved with the emails and blogs regarding the “mishaps” of this Council over the past years. However your tirade has made me change my mind.

“You have the audacity to try to farm out the blame for some incidents on your predecessor, and this whilst you were his deputy. You question Mr Evans’ account of an early morning meeting in the CEO’s office.  I know who I would prefer to believe given your economy with the truth over the grant fiasco in Pembroke Dock and indeed with Mr Evans resignation.  Was he getting too close to something that you and the CEO didn’t want exposed?

“As far as the CEO is concerned why hasn’t he been suspended during Police enquiries?

“You are the leader of Council, show us you have some guts and suspend him for the duration of the Police enquiry.  If it was any other employee they would have been suspended immediately.”